LAST night I noticed that some pages on my (this!) website haven’t translated properly to a new editing system. Nothing to do with my web host migration, this is an old issue that I hadn’t spotted. The promoters’ are and discography pages are gobbledygook!
I spend most of the morning sorting them out and packing up soem merch orders then we go for a quick swim before lunch.
Been missing getting out for a paddle…it’s even consistently windy for the last month, Hopefully calmer days will come soon.
My afternoon guitar student arrives at the studio while I’m messing with the guitar and we have a good session. Some of the kids coming for lessons are doing amazing!
I’m revisiting ways to try and tab out – tab, or tablature, is a way of notating guitar music – some of my songs…not just for some fo my guitar students, but also with a view to creating some digital (and maybe even physical) songbooks or some of my albums. My old midi guitar pickup gave up the ghost a few years ago and I was never completely happy with it. There’s a cheaper, improved version available now so I decide to give it a bash. Watch this space.
In the studio I have another bash at navigating the system for the radio show I’ll be presenting from end April. Not sure if there’s some permissions missing from my account or I’m missing something but I can’t build my music library and start getting my head round it all.
UP EARLY to get this week’s sourdough in the oven…a little later in the week than usual. It’s all baked, cooled and ready to eat in good time before my 9am online guitar session.
Dawn, my regular Wednesday morning in-person guitar student, rolls up just I finish the online lesson and we have a good session.
Voru Blues Club in Estonia has requested a short promo video for the show on 24 April. While I could just use my phone and knock something out I decide to try and do something a bit slicker which involves camera, lighting, green screen, a dash to the bay to film some ‘background, video and, eventually, some editing. Worth it tho’!
Before I know it my ‘double dunt’ – a two-at-once lesson for a sister and brother (aged eight and six respectively) – arrives.
Margaret and I both still have some lurgy hanging around and after the lesson I’m feeling wiped..and need a nap!
After 40 winks I hit the studio and get all my PRS live performance returns submitted then look out some local pix for a pal before Betty arrives to join us for dinner.
MARGARET gets a call from Catriona first going to ask if she can go and look after Aaron…she has a hairdresser appointment and Aaron’s off school ‘cos he was sick during the night. So off she goes.
After breakfast I hit the office and make a wedding gift for Barbara and Thorsten. We missed their wedding as we were in Brighton on Saturday.
I start organizing some PRS live performance returns then have some lunch…then a wander up the lochside. First time I’ve been a decent walk in ages.
I’m home in time for my afternoon guitar student then get busy with the PRS returns before heading to the village hall for a community hydro society meeting.
NO SOURDOUGH to go in the oven as we weren’t back in time yesterday for the dough to be made. Instead, Margaret prepped some overnight oats.
After a weekly session with one of my online guitar students I get some stuff together for the folks behind the Rock.Scot radio station – I’ll be presenting an alt.blues show when it goes live on FM, DAB and online towards the end of next month (April).
We’re both still suffering with the remains of the lurgy so go for a swim and visit to the steam room and sauna in the hope it might help.
After lunch I get busy editing some video from last week’s gigs to spin into tonight’s Wildcats’ livestream on Facebook, taking a break for my late afternoon guitar students.
Suddenly it’s 8pm and time to go live…all goes to plan after I sort out some sound issues then it’s back home for some dinner.
Playing to a small. It perfectly-formed crowd at Komedia, Brighton.
THE lurgy’s still lurking around us both when we wake up…not as bad as it’s been tho’.
We have a lazy morning at the Premier Inn. I edit some video clips and share videos, posts and links round socials as my ‘day of show’ promo for tonight’s gig at Komedia in Brighton.
It’s only 60 or 70 miles to Brighton and we take the on-motorway route which allows us to stop at a nice wee pub for lunch. Our first proper meal since Wednesday, The travelling and schedule has made it difficult to have anything other than sandwiches, snacks and stuff.
After checking in to out Travelodge and short drive into Brighton we load in and soundcheck. It’s a nice venue – but an expensive hire for a self promo show – and engineer Steve is good and helpful. Despite good local and regional press and a heap of both organic and paid socials ticket sales have been slow both via my own Eventbrite ticket and venue box office. Nevertheless, the small crowd, none of whom have seen me before, is appreciative and enthusiastic and we have a grand evening.
NEITHER of us wake up before 10am….and still full of lurgy. Jeez. Tonight’s show ain’t gonna be easy!
At lease we have a completely chilled day and I spend some of it Fiona tuning my (this!) website on it’s new server.
Turns out the West End Centre is just five minutes’ drive from our hotel and we’re greeted by Corrina who welcomes us with coffee while we await sound engineer Julie and lighting tech Allan.
Set up is a breeze and the folks here couldn’t b nicer or more efficient.
We’re pleasantly surprised by both ticket sales and walk ups and despite feeling crap I think I manage to pull off a decent performance. Certainly the feedback form the audience indicates all’s good 🙂
After a stop off for some supplies at the supermarket close by the hotel we’re back and settled before midnight.
AN EARLY start to get the gear and merch sorted and the car packed for our trip south.
The first show is tomorrow (Friday) but it’s a fair drive to Aldershot and we’re both full of the lurgy so better to get there tonight and be able to relax a bit tomorrow.
Before we leave I see my website migration to the new host is complete so I change the DNS (domain name servers) and hope the propagation goes quick and there’s minimum downtime.
Our journey is uneventful and we swap driving duties more often than usual as we’re both feeling shit. Halfway to Aldershot I see the website stuff is all sorted….yay – looks like weeks’ of messing about coulda been avoided if I’d just bitten the bullet and done this first!
There’s a supermarket beside our Premier Inn and we pick up some supplies and get checked in by 10.30pm. Been a long day…
FIRST, a 9am session with one of my online guitar students….then, just as I finish, an in-person guitar student arrives.
Once the morning lessons are all out the way I decide to try and move my website (davearcari.com) to a new hosting company to see if that helps my no/slow loading. I’m hoping it will decrease the load on the current server and allow all my other websites to ‘breathe’ and, if there’s a problem with the davearcari.com website maybe I’ll have enough server resources to do soem proper troubleshooting etc.
I start the migration process. It may take some time!
There’s video reels and other stuff to post round my socials to try and keep building traction for the Aldershot and Brighton shows on Friday and Saturday respectively then I make up set lists and prep some other stuff for the trip. We’re heading south tomorrow (Thursday).
I have two young guitar students for lesson late afternoon then we head to Doune to see Catriona and the kids – it’s Aaron’s sixth birthday. We have a grand couple of hours with them all – Carolyn, Joe and Karl are there too – then head for a late dinner.
DEFFO got the lurgy. Margaret had a restless night and although I slept OK I’ve woken up feeling shit.
Once the daily routine stuff is out the way I spend some more time back on the web server issues that are dragging things down. Today’s tasks are trying to Fiona some ways to reduce the load on the server.
Still feeling crap and decide to head out for a swim,,,and maybe a stint in the steam room and sauna will help. I enjoy the ‘me time’ but still don’t feel any better when I get home for a late lunch.
There’s some merch needing sorted in the office the the first of two in-person guitar students arrives.
By 7pm I’m done with the guitar lessons and get out to the office to finish off the merch..then into the studio tp set up for Fiona and her pal Mhairi coming to record some fiddle music for Barbara and Thorsten’s wedding on Saturday.
The session goes fine and by 10pm I’m back in the house for dinner…then an early night.
